Controversial NXT referee Drake Wuertz was reportedly suspended by WWE earlier this year and has had his responsibilities reduced backstage. This comes on the heels of journalist David Bixenspan’s reporting on Wuertz’s extreme political views.
In November, Bixenspan published an article titled “WWE appears to have a Drake Wuertz problem.” The article details Wuertz’s relationship with a a QAnon-adjacent “anti-child trafficking” charity, and his activity on Parler including his following the official “Proud Boys” account. According to the report from Fightful, WWE officials were “horrified” by what they read in the article.
According to a report from Fightful, Wuertz is no longer the head referee in NXT. That job has now gone to Darryl Sharma. Wuertz was also not given the role of timing matches in NXT in favor of giving that role to the returning Scott Armstrong. Wuertz is said to have been banned from the Capitol Wrestling Center for a period, either formerly or informally as well. He has since returned, however.
Drake Wuertz Response On Facebook
Wuertz published the following response to the reports about him on Facebook:
“My wife said some folks are apparently writing about our “Radical Views “. *Human Trafficking is modern-day slavery and we seek to eradicate it *Abortion is Murder and needs to be Abolished *Children in my community that are being forced by local government to wear masks for 8 hours a day against their parents wishes is abuse. We have a God-ordained duty to speak up for the ‘least of these’ and petition our magistrates to prevent harm upon children. If this is “Radical” then label me an extremist for Christ. Were not called to fit in with the world. Were called to serve God!…”We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29”
What Is Qanon?
In April, a report was published by the global security-focussed non-profit group the Soufan Center, and stated that Qanon messaging and conspiracy theories were being amplified by foreign countries with the goal of sowing civil discontent within the United States.
“Our data collection and analysis has demonstrated that QAnon has been weaponized by America’s adversaries,” cautioned Zach Schwitzky, Founder of Limbik. “Actors from Russia, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have all entered the fray amplifying QAnon messaging, most likely as a means to sow further discord and division among the American population.”
WWE Superstar and United Kingdom Champion WALTER recently appeared on WWE’s After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. The Austrian Superstar discussed a number of topics during the interview, including how WWE was never his end goal and a destination he never expected to end up.
“I was never thinking about signing with WWE,” WALTER said in the interview with Graves. “It was never a goal. I was happy in the process, sometimes you get lost too much when thinking about the future. Sometimes, your brain is way ahead of you so I always have to focus on what I’m doing right now.”
WALTER then confirmed prior rumors regarding his status with the WWE ‘main’ roster. It has been reported in the past that WALTER is unwilling to move away from Europe, thus why he has not been moved over to either NXT, RAW or SmackDown, despite the company wanting him to.
“I was never too keen about leaving Germany or Europe to live in the United States. It’s a big step” WALTER said. “Most of the other wrestlers are willing to do it because it’s their goal from day one or early in their career. For me, it was never a realistic thing that I could ever wrestle for WWE.”
WALTER on WWE Landscape
“When I started ten years ago, the wrestling world was different” the NXT United Kingdom Champion continued. “WWE was very protected and isolated from everyone else. They opened up a few years ago when they realized how much talent there is. When everything came to talks with NXT UK, they talked to me right when it started and I was doing well on the Indies.”
“I wanted to wait and see what happens” WALTER revealed, clearly wanting to see how the pieces fell before he committed to the then new brand. “When everything came together with NXT UK, I was thinking about myself. The travel schedule on the Indies was really rough. You’re working for a different guy every day and have to organize everything. If you rely on the promoter, there’s a chance you get stranded somewhere.”
“I was only home two or three days a week. When NXT UK came up and we talked, obviously the focus was to build something in Europe and it was the logical first step in the process” WALTER concluded.
Do you think at some point we will see WALTER in NXT, RAW or SmackDown full time? Let us know in the comments
Tommasso Ciampa is showing off his insanely ripped body in a new Instagram post.
The former NXT Champion underwent a 13-week transformation that has yielded jaw-dropping results. It’s not like he was out of shape, by any means. In fact, most of us will never look as good as his ‘before’ photo. However, that didn’t stop him from undergoing what he admits is an “insane” training regimen.
Ciampa says he prepped, weighed and cooked six meals for himself each day, every day. There were no cheat meals. As for exercise, he did five weight training sessions and eleven cardio sessions per week.
He thanks his wife for supporting his journey, his trainer AJ and his training partnres, the ‘Dump Boys’
So, what motivated him? According to Ciampa, “Celebrating being two years removed from career ending neck surgery, wanting to push myself beyond my limits without using ‘being a dad’ as an excuse, turning thirty-six years old, and taking control of the things that I can control… this was as much a mental health journey as it was a physical health journey.”
There’s no doubt it was a difficult process, but he says the best part is that he enjoyed every second of it.
Check out Tommasso Ciampa’s before and after photos here:
NXT has a reputation for laying on big matches for its weekly show. Next week will be no different, as current NXT women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez defends her crown against Mercedes Martinez.
The rivalry between Raquel Gonzalez and Mercedes Martinez has been building for months. It actually dates back to before Gonzalez won the belt back at NXT: Stand and Deliver.
This bout will mark the first title defence for Raquel Gonzalez, and despite the tenacity of her opponent you have to say she is the clear favourite to pick up the win. However, it cannot be forgotten that the previous time Gonzalez held gold, she lost it in the first defence. Granted, that was for the NXT women’s tag team titles, but a defeat like that surely lingers in the mind.
Raquel Gonzales has risen through the NXT ranks, building quite the name for herself in recent months. She will be eager to cement her legacy with a solid performance next Tuesday and a long run as NXT champion. Moreover, she has an ace up her sleeve in the form of Dakota Kai. In a recent reversal of roles, Kai now has the chance to repay her former muscle for all the times she came to her aid.
One thing that is for certain, the match between the pair will be a banger of a fight, between two of the toughest, baddest women on the NXT roster right now. This match should also end the feud and leave Raquel Gonzalez open to a new rival. Then eyes must turn to the woman she has in her corner. How long will Gonzalez be able to trust her friend Dakota Kai?
Congratulations to Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. The female duo from NXT faction The Way are your new NXT women’s tag team champions. The Way is making their mark in NXT, and look set to be a faction to be reckoned with.
Tuesday night, four women went to war in the NXT ring. With all competitors laying it on the line in a street fight that will be long remembered. With tables, chairs, and weapons aplenty, this was a match that lacked nothing in terms of intensity.
The win adds more gold to The Way’s waists, with Johnny Gargano already holding the North American Championship. How long he will be champion remains to be seen, with his upcoming fight with Bronson Reed.
The tag title victory is the first time that either Candice LeRae or Indi Hartwell have held gold in WWE. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how long their run lasts. The first two sets of champions, however, were unable to hold onto the belts for that long.
NXT will be eager to build prestige around their newest title. Historically, that works best when champs have a solid run. Logically speaking, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell should be set for a solid reign as champs.
With Gargano and Austin Theory in their corner, you have to say that the future is looking golden for the new NXT women’s tag team champions.
WWE recent aired a mysterious vignette on NXT programming touting the arrival of the Diamond Mine.
Amid speculation that the Diamond Mine has something to do with former IMPACT World Champion Tessa Blanchard, Fightful Select reports that the Diamond Mine is unrelated to the controversial performer.
Blanchard has used diamond imagery in the past, which is likely how people made this assumption. Per Fightful, “a WWE source, when asked, did not want fans expecting Blanchard to be the act or a part of it, but understood how the misconception could happen.”
WWE is looking to keep the identity of the person (or people) behind the Diamond Mine as close-to-the-vest as possible. If you haven’t already seen the vignette, check it out below:
Tessa Blanchard was at one point considered one of the top female wrestlers in the world. With rumors persisting that she is ‘difficult to work with’ and allegations of racism, her star power and marketability have greatly diminished over the past year.
NXT Champion Karrion Kross recently stated that he hopes Jon Moxley returns to WWE so that they can face each other again. Kross was taking part in an interview with Barstool Sports when he made the comments.
“I have to say it, I hope (Jon Moxley) comes back one day,” Kross said during the interview. “I think he will, not that I would know or nothing has been said.”
“I hope he comes back one day. If he does, he’s going to have to go through me and I think he knows that. We have unfinished business.”
Moxley and Kross have faced each other once previously. Kross was defeated by Moxley at a show for Future Stars of Wrestling in Las Vegas on July 5th, 2019.
Kross also spoke about which wrestlers have influenced him throughout his career.
“Disco Inferno believe it or not has probably been the best mentor that I’ve had and the reason being is because he prepared me to understand what this business actually is before I was involved with it at the highest level. He prepared me to understand the business model of what this is at the highest level.”
Former IMPACT World Champion and NXT Superstar LA Knight recently spoke to Busted Open Radio. The outspoken Superstar discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including why he was ‘hated’ during his first three months on the NXT brand.
“I have to say that I’m a bit of an introvert, I stay to myself” LA Knight began on Busted Open. “Especially if I don’t know people. So if I’m brand new to a locker room? I’ll say hello to everybody, and I’ll just kind of go off by myself; because in my mind I’m thinking, ‘I don’t want to bother anybody.’”
“If somebody wants to talk to me or if I have something really important to say? I’ll approach them” LA Knight added. “But otherwise I’m going to say hello, and then I’m gonna go do my own thing. That’s until somebody shows an interest or whatever starts talking to me.”
LA Knight on NXT Career
LA Knight finished by revealing that it usually takes a while to get ‘used’ to him in a locker room situation. This has led to him not being liked straight away in some of the places he has worked, including NXT.
“So now you see me carrying myself in a certain way; then you see what I do in the ring on a microphone, which is uber confident” Knight added. “And all of a sudden I’m not talking to anybody in the back and then people are like what ‘who the hell’s this guy think he is?’”
“When I got to NXT the first time here, I was hated for like the first three months” LA Knight concluded. “And it’s usually like a three month period before everybody kind of figures out like, ‘oh wait, this guy’s actually okay.’
credit to Fighter Fans for the transcription
Do you think that LA Knight could end up being a major star in WWE? Let us know in the comments
NXT’s move to Tuesday nights continues to pay off with an uptrend in viewership.
The 4/20 edition of NXT on the USA Network averaged 841,000 viewers, up from 805,000 last week. The show scored a 0.23 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, up from 0.22.
NXT finished 23rd on cable for the day up against news coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.
WWE’s black and gold brand is settling in to a new level of viewership on Tuesday nights without the direct competition of AEW Dynamite. They’ll be in good shape if they can maintain and steadily grow this audience.
Check out our recap and takeaways from this week’s NXT:
NXT star Ridge Holland has checked in with an injury update and it’s not pretty.
Holland (real name Luke Menzies) has been out of action since October, when he suffered a series of injuries during a match against Oney Lorcan on NXT TV.
During a spot that saw Lorcan dive to the outside of the ring onto Holand, the former professional rugby star fractured his left ankle. He also suffered a right knee patella dislocation and patellar tendon rupture. He was hospitalized and underwent multiple operations to repair the damage.
You can see WWE’s coverage of Ridge Holland’s injuries from this October 2020 NXT Injury Report:
Ridge Holland Update
Ridge Holland posted several photos of his legs to social media on Tuesday morning. He did not provide a caption, so it’s unknown when they were taken.
The photos reveal the extent of Ridge Holland’s injuries. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.
WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center tonight with an all-new episode of NXT on the USA Network.
The top match advertised for this week’s show is Dexter Lumis squaring off against LA Knight. WWE has released the following video hyping the bout:
NXT fans will also see:
The debut of Japanese wrestling star Sarray, formerly known as Sareee. The WWE Nickname Generator 3000 has blessed her with the nickname, “The Warrior of The Sun.”
A championship celebration for the new undisputed WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Kushida.
Kyle O’Reilly returns to NXT TV for the first time since defeating Adam Cole at Takeover: Stand and Deliver.
All this and more go down in just a matter of hours. Check back later tonight for our NXT Results and Takeaways.
Visit our NXT News page for all the latest articles about WWE’s black and gold brand.
WWE RAW Superstar Rhea Ripley won the red brand’s top Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37 by defeating Asuka. Both Ripley and Asuka are two women who are aguably synonymous with NXT, with both having sat atop the roster in Full Sail University.
NXT’s run as one of the hottest brands in the world was put to the test when AEW started running on Wednesday nights. With both shows going head-to-head, fans dubbed the new competition as the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’
The Gold brand of WWE moved to Tuesday this past week and gained viewers in the 800,000 range, with the show no longer having direct pro wrestling competition. AEW in comparison did 1.2 million in the ratings, signalling that the move of NXT and the end of the Wednesday Night Wars was best for both shows.
Rhea Ripley on Wednesday Night War
Speaking to talkSPORT, Rhea Ripley would discuss what it was like being ‘in the trenches’ during the Wednesday night shows.
“I think the internet definitely blew it up a lot more than we thought,” Ripley said. “We didn’t really think about it, at least I didn’t really think about it too much when we were on NXT. I just went there, did my job. I totally forgot there was a ‘war’ going on.”
“I just wanted to do the best that I could do and I think everyone was in the same boat as that” Ripley continued. “I think everyone in NXT just loves what they do so much and we just wanted to do the best that we could. And if that meant we were in a ‘war’ with someone, I guess we’re going to fight. But I think the internet blew that up a lot more than it was.”
Taya Valkyrie is now Franky Monet. She had been wrestling under her previous name for more than a decade. As is often the case, however, she changed it for her debut under the WWE NXT banner.
Monet recently took to Twitter to comment on her name change.
“Hey guys, I LOVE MY NAME…..maybe since I picked it. Go figure!” she Tweeted. “I could be called Sunshine Tuna and I would make it work!!! So take a breath, stop complaining and enjoy this evolution and ride with me. Thanks”
She also explained her reasons for the name.
“Monet for the French artist, Franky because I’ve always loved unisex names and I think it’s super cute, spunky and different,” she Tweeted.
The name “Sunshine Tuna” seemed to gain traction online.
“And for the record, nobody was going to name me Sunshine Tuna, it was just an example,” Monet continued. “The name does not make the wrestler. One that’s powerful and strong helps of course but just know we all think long and hard about these things. I’m me, la WERA LOCA. Always, now, forever.”
Ok wow new pc recruits take note of Sunshine Tuna ? first come first served https://t.co/y3ruxecWLM
Hey guys, I LOVE MY NAME…..maybe since I picked it. Go figure! ????? I could be called Sunshine Tuna and I would make it work!!! So take a breath, stop complaining and enjoy this evolution and ride with me. Thanks ?? #FrankyMonet
Nothing seems to polarize wrestling fans more than the concept of a ratings war. The recent Wednesday Night Wars is no different. It’s easy to understand why this concept gained such traction, with all of the similarities to the famous Monday Night Wars. AEW the young upstart, with lots of talent vocalizing their frustration at being caught in the WWE doldrums.
Yet, an argument could be made that there never was such a war, as wrestling is a singular affair, and regardless of company is there for everybody to enjoy. Which side is right? In many ways, both and none are correct. That’s why it is so much fun to be a wrestling fan at this point in time.
It goes without saying therefor that the recent announcement that NXT was moving from Wednesday to Tuesday was greeted by many as a surrender of sorts, with WWE conceding to AEW, for that timeslot at least. The numbers don’t lie, and AEW were pulling in the dominant ratings each week.
The GOAT Declares Victory
One man who was quick and clear when it came to voicing his opinion on the matter was wrestling legend and certain hall of famer Chris Jericho. The G.O.A.T, who was big part of the Monday Night Wars also, wasted no words when talking to Forbes.com claiming that AEW sent NXT screaming and yelling to the safety of a Tuesday night.
“Yes, we wanted to beat NXT,” Jericho declared. “Yes, we wanted to drive them screaming and yelling away from Wednesdays and we did that.”
It’s interesting to think that Chris Jericho wrestled for both WCW and WWE during the Monday Night War period, and now, despite being a WWE star appeared on the WWE network recently with an appearance on the Broken Skull Ranch podcast.
Either way, his words speak volumes about the drive AEW’s stars have to make their company stand tall and proud.
Tonight marks a new chapter for NXT, as WWE’s black and gold brand moves to Tuesdays.
Several new champions were crowned at Takeover: Stand and Deliver. Karrion Kross is the new NXT Champion. Raquel Gonzales is the NXT Women’s Champion. MSK now hold NT’s tag team titles and Santos Escobar is the undisputed cruiserweight champ.
WWE has announced the following items for NXT:
NXT Champion Karrion Kross will open the show.
We’ll hear from new NXT Women’s Champion, Raquel Gonzalez.
NXT Tag Team Champions MSK will face Drake Maverick & Killian Dain
Undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar has issued an Open Challenge.
Franky Monet, who appears to be former Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie, debuts
We’ll see footage from what happened after Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole’s unsanctioned match at Stand & Deliver.
Leon Ruff will face Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
The Way (Johnny Gargano, Austin Theory, Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) will face Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in an 8-person mixed tag team match.
The WWENXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event is taking place over the course of two nights. Night 1 took place yesterday, Wednesday April 7th (airing on USA Network).
Tonight’s show, Thursday, April 8th will be available to watch via Peacock and WWE Network for International fans.
WWE had already announced the main events of both nights that take place in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. WWENXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez headlined the first night, with Gonzalez winning the Championship for the first time in her career.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross will main event tonight, with Balor putting his Championship on the line.
This show marks the second special for the yellow brand in 2021, which features a stacked lineup. As a reminder, we will be providing ongoing coverage of tonight’s show throughout.
Here’s the full card for Night 2 of the event:
NXT Takeover Stand & Deliver: Night 2
Unsanctioned Match – Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole
NXT Championship Match – Finn Balor (c) vs Karrion Kross
Undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Championship Ladder Match – Jordan Devlin vs Santos Escobar
NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match – Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs The Way
NXT North American Championship Match – Johnny Gargano (c) vs Bronson Reed
Here are Jake’s predictions for the second night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:
What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments
The WWENXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event will take place over the course of two nights, tonight Wednesday, April 7th (airing on USA Network) and Thursday, April 8th (Peacock broadcast).
The company has already officially announced the main events of both nights that take place in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez will headline the first night while WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross will go down the following night.
This show marks the second special for the yellow brand in 2021, which features a stacked lineup. As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special on both nights.
Here’s the full card for Night 1 of the event:
Stand & Deliver: Night 1
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma for the Vacant NXT Tag Team Titles
WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, and LA Knight – Gauntlet Eliminator Match
Pete Dunne vs KUSHIDA
Here are Jake’s predictions for the opening night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – MINUS Pete Dunne vs KUSHIDA…because honestly someone forgot it was on the card tonight.
Pete Dunne to win by the way.
What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments
According to reports from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the focus of the meeting was the show’s move to Tuesday nights and it started with a reflection of the brand’s evolution since its inception.
Trriple H mentioned how the Black and Yellow brand has come a long way from being a small brand that sold out a show during the WrestleMania weekend to becoming one of the top brands in the company.
The move to Tuesday nights was sold as a good thing for the brand because they will have the lead-in from Raw on Mondays. It was said that everything is going to change now that the brand has its own night.
Triple H revealed that the change of nights has been in the works for some time. He noted that the USA Network first considered this change as far as a year back.
The Game also said that he hopes people will focus more on the show now rather than being worried about the viewership and TV ratings of NXT.
The first night of the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver will be the final NXT episode on Wednesday nights and the show will start airing on Tuesday nights from April 13, following WrestleMania 37.
It was recently confirmed that WWE and USA Network will be moving the NXT program to Tuesday nights starting on April 13. Triple H recently spoke to Joe Otterson of Variety regarding the move.
“We now feel like we’re in a good place where we can move that consistent fanbase over to Tuesdays,” Triple H began. “We believe they’ll follow us. That way we can grow the brand more given the lead in from ‘Monday Night Raw,’ which we’ve seen in the past.”
Something that the company is likely not going to discuss is the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’
The ‘wars’ saw AEW consistently beat NXT most Wednesdays in the overall rating and also in the key 18-49 demographic.
Triple H Talks NXT on Peacock
It was also confirmed that NXT will be airing on the NBC Peacock streaming service every Wednesday going forward. Triple H also discussed how this will help further the reach of WWE’s Gold brand.
“The ability for us to be on [Peacock], a bigger platform where so many more people have the opportunity to experience it and and to let it grow into something more, is very exciting,” Triple H noted. “And once you sample it? We believe that the product is something that people will stick with and become involved in.”
The move of NXT to Tuesday nights has been a wish of fans over the past few months. With NXT and AEW arguably being some of the best weekly programming in North American pro wrestling; this gives fans the chance to watch both on a live basis going forward.
Daniel Bryan has said that he wants to face William Regal’s son, Bailey Matthews, ten years from now at WrestleMania. Regal has been Bryan’s friend and mentor in the wrestling business for a long time. Regal’s son Matthews made his debut on NXT UK in February 2021. Bryan spoke with talkSPORT where he was asked about his future dream WrestleMania scenarios, and that’s when he named Matthews.
“It’s hard to say one, Daniel Bryan said. “If I could do a match ten years from now, and this is assuming that I’m still capable of doing it and that he progresses to a level like that, one of the things that I think would be really cool… William Regal’s son, Bailey Matthews. He just recently started on NXT UK. For his experience level, he’s doing really well. I loved being able to wrestle William Regal the times that I did in WWE, but I’m not sure people know how much he has affected my career. He has affected it so much. What he’s given to me and he’s never asked for anything from me.”
Daniel Bryan added that he has “an infinite amount of respect” for William Regal. He thinks it would be cool if he is able to wrestle with his son at a huge stage like WrestleMania. Bryan attributed his place in the wrestling world to Regal and said that he wouldn’t be where he is right now without Regal. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at without William Regal. To me, I think that’s a really cool one,” he added.
Bailey Matthews was announced as part of three other signings for its NXT UK brand in January. Matthews wrestled under the ring name Joe Bailey and trained in the NJPW dojo at one point. He has only wrestled one match for the UK brand so far, by making his debut against Tyler Bate on the February 25 episode of NXT UK.
NXT star Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury during his tag team championship match on last week’s episode of the show, forcing him to relinquish the tag title.
WWE provided some update on his health during the latest episode of the Black and Yellow brand and commentator Vic Joseph revealed that the injured star is going to be out of action for 6 months.
Last week’s episode of NXT saw Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan retaining the NXT tag team championships against Karrion Kross and NXT Champion Finn Balor.
However, Burch suffered a separated shoulder during this main event match. The injury occurred when he landed awkwardly while taking a double suplex from the former Impact star.
This week’s episode of the show saw the company announcing the fate of the vacated titles and they confirmed a match to determine the new champions.
The match announced for the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event will see MSK, The Grizzled Young Veterans, and Legado del Fantasma competing against each other with the winners becoming the new titleholders.
NXT star Jessi Kamea who was set for a title match during the latest episode of the Black and Yellow brand was pulled from the show due to an injury.
The female star was set to team up with Aliyah to challenge the NXT women’s tag team champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart for their titles on the show.
However, the company announced that Kamea will be replaced by Mercedes Martinez before the show. They posted a video of Robert Stone offering Mercedes an envelope of money to return to his brand for the match.
Stone also mentioned that the female star who was originally slotted for the bout has suffered an injury while training. Since she was still talking about the bout as of Sunday, it’s believed that Jessi was injured sometime this week.
The match then saw the champions retaining their title after Ember Moon took out Aliyah with an Eclipse and pinned her to pick up the victory for her team.
There is no word yet on how serious Jessi Kamea’s injury is or if she will be missing any significant amount of time. We will keep you posted on any further updates on her health.
WWE is planning to move NXT to Tuesday nights after WrestleMania 37, effectively ending the Wednesday night wars with AEW.
According to PWInsider which previously confirmed that they have an episode scheduled for Tuesday, April 13 has now provided some more update on the situation. The WWE production schedule for the month of April now “lists WWE NXT for Tuesdays every week post WrestleMania weekend.”
This means that the first NXT episode on Tuesday will be aired on April 13 after WrestleMania 37 and the show will be a regular for Tuesday nights afterwards.
The move will put Impact Wrestling against the show and we can expect AXS TV to shift Impact to Thursdays so it remains unopposed.
NXT Moving To Tuesdays
The night 1 of the TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is currently scheduled to air on USA Network on April 7. Night two will then be broadcasted on the WWE Network.
If these listings are accurate, then it will mean that the upcoming Takeover event will be the final NXT show to be broadcasted on Wednesday nights before the change of schedule.
The change will mean that AEW Dynamite will not have any wrestling show competing against it on Wednesdays after the Show Of Shows. So it will be interesting to see how it affects the brand’s ratings.
Wednesday night wrestling couple Adam Cole and Britt Baker have been dating since 2016. Baker recently commented on how she’d like to one day be in the same promotion as Cole, but she doesn’t plan on leaving AEW.
“It’s no secret he comes to AEW sometimes and hangs out in the back,” Baker said on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. “His best friends are the Bucks and Kenny, so he’s got tonnes of friends there.”
“I know this is going to create probably a little bit of controversy but I would love to work in the same company one day,” Baker continued. “I think that would make things a little bit easier. With that being said, I’m probably never leaving AEW because that’s my home.”
Baker noted recently that the two began dating after she stumbled upon his profile on the Bumble dating app and then messaged him directly on Facebook about it.
Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury last week on NXT. Unfortunately, NXT General Manager William Regal recently announced that the NXT tag-team titles will be vacated due to Burch’s injury.
“As first reported on the NXT Injury Report, Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury and I can now confirm, along with the following X-ray, that Danny suffered a separated shoulder. William Regal told me he will be providing an update shortly to the NXT Universe,” Tweeted host of WWE the Bump, Matt Camp.
William Regal then responded to Camp’s comments by noting the NXT tag-team titles will now be vacated. Regal also stated that he will address the state of the titles on Wednesday night.
I can confirm this incredibly unfortunate news and make the difficult decision to vacate the #WWENXT Tag Team Titles. Furthermore, I will address the state of the titles further tomorrow night on @WWENXT. https://t.co/z3iQdC1Ruc
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan became the 20th team to win the belts since their inception in 2013. PAC and Oliver Grey were the inaugural champions.
Only 2 teams, The Revival (aka FTR) and Undisputed Era have won the belts more than once.
The Undisputed Era holds most records with the belts, having held them 3x for a combined 606 days. The Ascension holds the record for the longest single-reign with the titles. They held the belts for 364 days from 2013-14.
